Online Public Relations Thoughts

Daily entries on Public Relations and communications ideas and trends

Monday, April 02, 2012

Compared To What?

Analysts are saying flying is better now. Compared to what? Compared to one of the worst periods in airline history. That isn't much of an honor, if one at all. Put another way, the airline industry could not have sunk much lower and survived. From a PR perspective, airlines are a disaster. They seem to have little care for passengers. They are, except for Business and First Class, cattle cars. Coach passengers are put in the equivalent of steerage in the old days of sailing. The only difference is that in steamship days, passengers suffered a week of discomfort to get from Europe to the US. Now it is six hours. Can the industry ever return to a period when passengers delighted in flying? It is unlikely given the cost of running a plane. Passengers will have to get used to cramped conditions and hope they can tolerate them. When one has little choice, chances are they will. But, that is a poor way to relate to the public.